If Tiger Woods did any fist-pumping at the Ryder Cup Friday, he did it discreetly.

On the first day of actual competition in the three-day USA-vs-Europe golf contest, Woods, a non-playing vice captain of the American side, was on-hand at the first tee with players and other captains to see players off. Fans in the arena-like setting knew it and called out encouragement to him.

But Woods stood fast. He wasn’t a significant presence on the course — if he was out at all.

This isn’t surprising. Before this week, Captain Davis Love III had said of Woods’s presence: “People are gonna be watching him watch golf. … We have to do a little more planning for Tiger. … We’re gonna have to put him on a leash.”

Dave Orrick reports on state government and politics from the Pioneer Press' Capitol Bureau. When the occasion demands, he's been known to cover topics ranging from hunting to golf. He lives in St. Paul with his wife and son.

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